A New Friend?
by dncnmndy
Summary: Angela Walker has a new friend, but what do her parents think? Will they reconsider when something unspeakable happens?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Walker Texas Ranger or the characters in this story, execpt Jessica.**

* * *

Angela Walker wasn't popular, by any means. She was the hot, awkward girl in high school. Had friends, but not many, but strangely, she was okay with that. She'd already learned that when you were a Ranger's daughter, your friends were constantly in danger. So, she went about her life not being concerned about friends, having them that is, until she flunked her math class and met the person who understood everything.

"You what?" Alex Cahill-Walker yelled at her daughter. Angela looked at the floor, and muttered, "I failed math."

"Oh my god, Angela, how could you do this?"

"It's not like I did it on purpose, Mom, God, back off."

"Don't talk to your mother like that!" Walker said as he walked in the front door. "I don't know what's going on, but you will not disrespect your mother."

Angela turned and ran to her room, making as much noise as possible.

"What's going on?" Walker asked

"She failed her math class this semester." Alex said.

"Oh man…"

"Yeah. Walker, what are we going to do? I don't know what's wrong. I think maybe we need a tutor…"

"I suppose. Do you think it will help? Angela doesn't seem to want help from anyone these days."

"I'm not getting a tutor!" Angela screamed from upstairs.

Walker and Alex cringed, amazed at their daughter's sudden outburst. And with that, they went to bed.

* * *

The next day, Angela walked into school with no intention of staying. She went to her locker, sat down, and cried. Her parents just didn't understand how hard it was to distance herself from everyone; saying good bye to her dad every morning, not knowing if he was coming back. Seeing him when he did come home, and not knowing if Trivette, Gage, and Sydney were okay. She constantly had to be on edge, wondering if someone was watching her, waiting to take her. That was hard.

"Are you ok?" Angela looked up, surprised to see that Jessica Juarez was talking to her. Jessica was even more of a loner than she was, and very, very quiet, though she was allegedly a genius.

"Can I help you?" Angela barked.

"I just wanted to know if you were ok…"Jessica said with concern.

"If I wanted you to talk to me, I would let you know."

"Are you sure about that?" Angela was amazed. Couldn't this girl take a hint?

"Yeah."

"It just looked like you needed a friend." This set Angela off again, and Jessica slid down to the floor beside her while she cried.

* * *

Meanwhile, Walker and Alex had just arrived at work, flustered about what was going on with their, previously chipper, sixteen-year old. Walker thought that they should just give her space, while Alex was adamant that she needed help. Trivette watched from his desk, somewhat grateful that he didn't have this problem, while Sydney and Gage, the newlyweds, looked on in amazement.

"I'm telling you Walker, if you won't do something, I will." With that, Alex stomped to her office.

"What's up?" Trivette asked.

"Angela failed her math class, and we're not sure what to do."

"Well Walker" Sydney interrupted, "You need to take your mind off of that now, something else requires your attention."

* * *

Author's Note

This is my first fanfiction ever. Please review! Criticism appreciated.


	2. Chapter 2

"Are you telling me that something is more important than my daughter, Sydney?"

"Walker, that's not what I meant…"

"Sorry, didn't mean to snap at you."

"It's okay." Sydney said, relieved that her boss had backed down.

"So what's up?" Walker inquired.

Trivette spoke up. "There's been a major increase of gang violence in the past month. The mayor wants us to find out which gang, and clean it up."

"The crimes range from petty theft, to arson, to sexual assault and murder." Gage said.

"How do we know it's only one gang?" Walker asked skeptically.

"They've left a signature at every crime scene." Sydney replied disgustedly.

She handed him a photo of the Tarot card that had been left at each scene: the card of Death.

Walker stared for a moment, and sighed. "Gage, I want you to go and see what evidence may have been left on the cards. Sydney, I want you to start looking through the gangs that have recently formed, or reformed. Trivette, look up prison records of old gang leaders that were recently released. There's a chance this boss may want to start fresh."

The three went off in different directions as Walker sat down at his desk and put his head in his hands. There was so much to think about.

"I'm sorry I'm crying all over you like this." Angela said apologetically.

"Don't worry about it; everyone needs to break down every once in awhile." Jessica replied. "Do you want me to take you home?

"Don't you have classes?"

"Technically, but I have more important things to do."

"Like?" Angela asked

"Like talking to you."

Angela just stared. She'd never said a word to this girl before. Now, here she was asking if she wanted a ride home.

"No, thanks, home is part of the problem right now."

"Why?"

Suddenly Angela found herself explaining everything to this random girl she'd never met. How her dad had a dangerous job and both her parents were workaholics. She told her how hard it was to distance herself from everyone to keep them safe. She told her that she wasn't doing well in school either, which just added stress to an already stressful situation.

"I could tutor you…" Jessica cut in when Angela stopped speaking long enough to breathe.

"Why would you do that?"

"You said you weren't doing well. I'm doing well. Thus, I could help." Jessica said frankly.

"You're a little full of yourself, aren't you?"

"Aren't we all? Come on, I'll take you back to my apartment."

"_Your _apartment?"

"Yeah. Long story."

Angela stood still, waiting for Jessica to elaborate. She didn't.


	3. Chapter 3

Angela followed Jessica to her beat up '95 Buick Regal. Jessica popped the trunk and she and Angela dumped their school stuff in the back. They got in the car in silence. As they pulled out of the parking lot, Jessica began to speak.

"My mom died when I was two. I lived with my dad until I was thirteen, and then I lived on my own. Been living by myself ever since."

"Wait. Back up. You've been living on your own since you were thirteen?" Angela asked incredulously.

"Technically."

"How?"

"When my dad left, I had some money saved, and I started working. Told people I was 15 so I could work legally. Paid a bum to go in and initially rent an apartment for me. Of course, eventually people found out. I went to court and was legally emancipated. Some people weren't very happy with that decision, but I'd proved I could do it."

"Wow. Sometimes I wish I could just leave my whole life behind, you know?"

"You say that now, but it's a lot more work than you think. Suddenly, you're responsible for every aspect of your own life. Money, food, housing. Everything is suddenly your responsibility. I've been working four jobs since I was 13."

"Yeah, but sometimes you just want to leave so bad. No more nagging, no more rules…"

"I suppose you would look at it like that."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Angela responded angrily.

"All it means is that living on your own isn't all it's cut out to be."

"Why are you talking down to me?"

"Because right now, you deserve it!" Jessica exclaimed.

For while, neither girl spoke; they were too busy being mad at each other. Each girl lost in her own private thoughts, not willing to look at the other's point of view.

"Alex Cahill-Walker." Alex crisply answered her phone, as she did every time it rang.

"Mrs. Walker, this is Principal Knapp from Angela's school. We were just calling to see if there was a reason she wasn't in school today."

"What do you mean she's not in school, as of this morning, she was on her way. Where is she?"

"Mrs. Walker, I don't know. I called you hoping maybe she stayed home sick today."

"Oh my God. Thank you for letting me know. If you hear from her, please let me know."

Alex hurriedly hung up the phone and ran to Walker's office.

"Walker, Angela's missing!"

"What do you mean she's missing? She went to school this morning."

"I know that. What I'm telling you is that she isn't there now. Walker, I'm scared."

"Don't worry, we'll find her. I'll go over to the school now and see what I can find out." Walker said reassuringly.

"I'm coming with you."


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry these have been short recently, I've been sick, so not really in the mood to write. Doing better now, so it should be easier. Also, thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far. I enjoy reading your thoughts and suggestions!

* * *

Jessica pulled up to a well-kept apartment complex after about twenty minutes. Angela looked around in amazement; whatever she'd expected, it wasn't this. This looked like a legitimate neighborhood. One where kids could play in their backyards while the parents had barbecues with the neighbors. It was nice.

"Meet your approval?" Jessica asked icily.

"Look, I'm sorry if I offended you in the car, but you have to admit, there are perks to living on your own." Jessica pushed.

"I suppose. Come on, I'll show you inside.

The girls grabbed their stuff from the car, and walked toward the building and up the stairs to the third floor. Jessica produced a key and they walked inside.

The apartment was modestly furnished in browns and light blues, it had a bedroom, a living room, a small kitchen and a bathroom. Perhaps the most surprising thing was that it was clean. How did a teenager keep her apartment clean?

"Nice place." Angela commented awkwardly.

"It's home." Jessica said.

* * *

Walker and Alex had just arrived at the high school, having called Trivette, Gage, and Sydney on the way. Principal Knapp was waiting there anxiously.

Walker didn't waste any time. "Where are your security cameras? I need to see the footage."

"This way." Principal Knapp said nervously, briskly walking toward the security office.

"The trio watched in silence as Angela walked into school, and walked back out about a half hour later with a tear streaked face, and got in a strange car with another girl who they didn't know.

"Who is that?" Alex asked.

"Jessica Juarez," Principal Knapp read from her file. "Top of the class, never been in trouble. Until now, apparently." Walker took the file and read it over. Apparently satisfied, he motioned to Alex to follow him out.

"Alex, she doesn't look like she's in trouble. Maybe she just needed a break.

"Did you see the look on her face? She was clearly upset. We need to do something, who knows what this girl is capable of."

"All right, all right. We'll go see what's going on." With that, they got in the truck, and sped off toward 2400 Oak Ridge Lane, Apartment 3C.

* * *

Jessica had made coffee; both girls were sitting at the tiny kitchen table that usually only served one.

"So?" Angela began.

"So…what?" Jessica said with a smile, their previous quarrel finally forgotten.

"What's the story?"

Jessica had known that this would come up, but she had hoped to focus on Angela's problem, not her own.

"No story. Home with my dad wasn't good. I left. I live here now. The end."

"Right. You expect me to buy that?"

"I was hoping you would. But I gather you didn't?"

"You'd be right. I talked to you, now you talk to me. That's how friends work."

Jessica paused, mesmerized by the word 'friend'. She'd never had a real one; her father had made sure of that. And with that, she told her story.

* * *

Neither girl heard the elevator ding, announcing a new arrival on the floor, nor did they hear the quiet footsteps advancing down the hallway.


	5. Chapter 5

Both girls screamed as the front door was kicked open, and in burst Walker with his hand on his weapon. For a moment, the scene was frozen in time; Walker stood in the doorway, staring at the tiny kitchen, Angela stood, coffee dripping down her shirt, and Jessica sat at the kitchen table, staring open-mouthed at the recently arrived guest.

Angela recovered first.

"Dad? What the _hell _are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here? Why aren't you in school?"

"I…"

"You're supposed to be in school. No one gave you permission to not go. You're mother…"

"You're mother has been worried sick about you." Alex interrupted, entering the apartment, her tear-streaked face testimony to her feelings. "I didn't know what had happened to you. I'm at work, and I get a call from your principal asking why you weren't there. I thought you'd been kidnapped!" Alex yelled.

"Well, obviously, I haven't!" Angela yelled. "God, people skip school all the time, I skip once, _once_ and suddenly I've been kidnapped? What the hell? Why do I get stuck with the only parents that would jump to that conclusion about their teenage daughter? Everyone else skips and their parents write it off as a day off. Mine? Oh no, call in the cavalry!"

"You will not talk to us like that, Angela Marie. We are your parents and you will listen to us." Alex said vehemently.

"May I say something?" The Walker family jumped, as they were suddenly reminded that there was another person in the room that had yet to speak.

"It wasn't Angela's idea to skip, it was mine. I needed a day off, and it looked as though she did too, so we left and came back here." Jessica explained.

"And I suppose you're parents are the ones who write off skipping class as 'a day off'?" Alex asked icily.

"Hardly. And I'll thank you not to judge my parents in the future." Jessica responded calmly, a hint of a smile playing round her lips.

Alex and Walker stared dumbfounded, while Angela suppressed a smile; Jessica could hold her own apparently.

Walker cut in. "Frankly Miss Juarez, I don't care what you or your parents do with your time. However, if what you do concerns my daughter, I will make it my business. Angela, get in the car."

"But…" Angela protested.

"Now." Walker and Alex said together.

Angela walked out, head hanging forward, followed by Walker and Alex, who, with a last withering look, slammed the door behind her. Jessica stared at the closed door, realizing that, with her past, the situation with Angela's parents was only going to get worse.

The car was silent as the Walkers drove away from Jessica's apartment. Angela was fuming. She'd never been so embarrassed, nor had she ever been so ashamed. How could her parents have acted like that? Her parents, who had insisted upon manners fit for the daughter of a world class Texas Ranger and his top-notch attorney wife? Angela reached for her journal when she realized that she'd left her bags in Jessica's apartment. There was no way her parents were going to let her go back to get it. She'd have to wait for school tomorrow. With a huff of frustration, she leaned her head against the seat and shut her eyes.


	6. Chapter 6

Authors note: Thanks so much for reading and reviewing. This chapter is kind of slow, because I needed a calm before the storm. Next chapter should come out soon!

* * *

When the Walkers arrived home, Angela stomped to her room and slammed the door, putting an end to any possible effort to talk to her. Walker hit "play" on the answering machine, which gave him three messages, one from each Trivette, Gage, and Sydney, all expressing their concern and desire to help. As Alex called each of them back, Walker thought about how to continue. It was obvious that his daughter was hurting, and he didn't know how to help her, which was the most frustrating thing of all. He heard the doorbell chime, but made no effort to get up; hearing that Alex was already on her way to the door. Her scream of rage however, brought him running, ready to fight.

"What the hell do you think you're doing here? Get out of my house!"

"Mrs. Walker, I just came by…" Jessica began.

"Yes, you came by, and now you're leaving." Alex all but snarled at the girl standing in her doorway.

"I came by to give Angela her backpack. She left it at my place earlier." Jessica explained.

"Thank you. Come in." Walker said calmly before Alex could respond. He felt Alex's eyes glaring at him, but did not let up. Jessica followed him into the house, as Alex slammed the door. Walker led the trio to the living room, where they all sat down formally, as though this were a business meeting. Having heard Jessica's voice, Angela came bounding down the stairs.

"Hey Jess!"

"Hey Ang, I brought your stuff back."

"Cool, thanks!" Angela walked over and sat down next to her friend while Alex looked on with disapproving eyes.

"Well, I guess that's all."

"Good. You can go." Alex dismissed her.

"Thank…" Jessica began to get up, but Angela held fast to her arm.

"Hang on," she began, "I have something to say." She stood and looked her mother in the eye. "Back off, Mom. I pick my own friends. You don't. Jess is a friend, whether you like it or not. So back off." She put extra emphasis on the last two words. Alex was about to respond when the phone rang.

"Walker."

"Walker, its Sydney. The gang hit again."

"Where?"

"Downtown." She gave him the address and he all but ran out the door to his truck, with a hurried goodbye to his family. And Jessica.

Angela stared after him, remembering all of her nightmares, and wondering if tonight was the night they would come true.

After Walker left, Alex was quick to show Jessica to the door, ushering her out and slamming the door in her bewildered face. That did it.

"How can you be so rude? She's my FRIEND! Don't you get it? I have fun when she's around, she listens to me, I can talk to her without being judged. She understands everything! What's wrong with that, do you not want me to be happy?" Angela turned and ran up the stairs for the second time that night. Alex stared after her in disbelief. She didn't know what to do.


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note: Sorry, I had to fix this chapter, because I messed up the end. Thanks to moviemom for pointing that out! Sorry about the confusion!

* * *

Despite everything that had happened, Jessica became a regular fixture at the Walker household. This helped Angela tremendously as Walker was becoming more and more involved with this disturbing case. In the last month alone, ten people had been murdered, four of them women who had also been sexually assaulted. Walker was putting long hours, so much so that Angela didn't often see him. Alex tried to reassure her, but for some reason, Angela couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Her and Jessica would spend long days lounging around the ranch talking about anything and everything. One good thing was that the Angela's grades were looking up, thanks in large part to Jessica's relentless helpfulness. Angela planned to use this to her advantage.

"Mom? Can I go out tonight?"

"What?"

"Can I go out tonight? With Jessica?"

"Where?"

"Just out…there's this new dance club about twenty minutes away…"

"Absolutely not. No way, no how, young lady."

"Why not?"

"Because."

"Because why?"

"I don't have time to explain all the reasons to you."

"Make time. You know this isn't fair."

"Fine. You want reasons? I don't think you're old enough to go to a club. I'm already worried enough about your father, I don't need to worry about you too."

"Mom, I can take care of myself, and Jessica's going with me."

"Yeah, that makes me feel better." Alex said sarcastically.

"Come on, mom. I'll call you every hour. I'll be home by two. Please?" Angela was almost whining, something she hated to do, but she needed to get out of this house.

Alex considered it. "Fine. A call every hour. Or I send your dad in after you."

"Thanks mom, you're the best!"

Angela ran back up to her room to get ready to go. She had called Jessica, and she was on her way over. Now she just had to figure out what to wear.

* * *

Meanwhile, Alex was downstairs worrying. She hadn't been getting along with her daughter at all. She didn't know what to do; she desperately wanted the fighting to stop, but she didn't know if this was the best way to go about it. She hoped so.

* * *

The club was fantastic. Hourly dance contests were the big draw, and the crowd was wild. Jessica and Angela danced straight to the center of the dance floor, and immediately began to move to the beat. They didn't really dance with anyone in particular, just as a big group, but they made sure to stay close together.

* * *

Jessica looked around, but she didn't see Angela. She looked at her watch and sighed in frustration.

* * *

Angela was crying. She didn't know where she was, or who she was with. She tried to scream, but she couldn't, it hurt too badly. She felt people hitting her, and kicking her. It hurt. She didn't know where Jessica was. She wanted to go home.

* * *

Jessica looked around again, and then at her watch. And then she got out her phone and made a call.


	8. Chapter 8

Sorry it took me so long to update!! I'll try to get the next chapter up sooner! Have a good Thanksgiving!!

* * *

Angela woke up in a room that was all white. She knew enough to know that it was a hospital. Every part of her body hurt. She could feel the oxygen tube in her nose and the needle in her arm that was probably giving her morphine. She looked down and saw that her arms and legs were bruised. Badly bruised. Then, she remembered what had happened, and she started to cry.

That's when Alex realized that her daughter was awake. Alex reached over from the chair she was sitting in and wrapped her daughter in a hug, being careful not to disturb any of the monitors surrounding her. She held her daughter and let the tears stream down her face. After about a minute, Walker came up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder. Alex slowly pulled away from her daughter and looked at her husband, and back at her daughter. Angela was staring straight ahead, no emotion on her face. She'd stopped crying almost as soon as she felt her mother touch her arm. Now, as Alex pulled away, she rolled over onto her side, facing away from her parents, and wrapped her arms around her knees. Alex looked up at Walker, a new set of tears falling down her cheeks. Walker silently left the room to go and find a doctor, while Alex looked back at her daughter.

Outside the room, Walker found Trivette, Gage, and Sydney waiting anxiously. Walker nodded at them, and continued on his mission to find a doctor. His three fellow Rangers followed him silently. Walker found Angela's doctor and told him that she was awake. The doctor followed Walker back to Angela's room in silence. No one really wanted to hear this news, and the doctor didn't really want to say it. The five of them walked into Angela's hospital room. She hadn't moved one inch.

"Angela?" The doctor tentatively began.

Angela didn't say anything; she didn't even acknowledge that the doctor had spoken. He walked around the side of her bed and touched her arm lightly. Other than a slight flinch, she didn't move. He examined her a little bit and moved away from the bed.

"As you already know, Angela was not only sexually assaulted, but severely beaten, almost to the point of death. Now, physically, she's going to be fine, but emotionally, she's going to need some help. Right now, the best thing you can do for her is to be here when she's ready to talk."

Everyone in the room nodded. Alex and Sydney were both silently crying, while Walker, Trivette, and Gage simply looked murderous. Each and every one of them wanted to find the bastard that had done this to their little girl.

The doctor started to walk out the door, but stopped at the last minute.

"The paramedics found this tucked into her bag." He held something up and everyone visibly blanched when they saw what it was: The Card of Death.

* * *

Jessica was in her apartment pacing. She'd changed out of her clubbing outfit and into a pair of sweats. Ever since they'd been separated that night, she'd been worried about Angela. She'd called her cell phone countless times, and ever since she'd called Alex earlier that night, she'd called the Walker's house every half hour since. There still hadn't been an answer. Eventually, she resigned herself and flopped down on her couch and turned on the television. And then she saw the late-breaking top story of the night. She watched in shock, and then she grabbed her keys and ran out of the house.


	9. Chapter 9

Here's the next chapter! Thanks for being so patient and as always, please review! Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!!

* * *

Jessica burst into the hospital and didn't stop walking until she found a doctor.

"What room is Angela Walker in?"

"Are you family?"

"I'm her sister."

"She's in room 352."

"Thank you."

Jessica started walking again, and didn't stop until she got to room 352. There, she saw Alex and Walker outside. Looking farther back, she saw Sydney, Gage, and Trivette standing in a clump with their heads together. Everyone outside the room looked at her when she approached. But Alex's face stood out among all the others. She was livid.

"What the hell do you think you're doing here?"

"I thought Angela could use a friend…"

"A friend? How can you possibly consider yourself her friend when you left her tonight? Do you have any idea what you've done?"

"I know. I know what happened. And I'm sorry."

At this point, Walker put a restraining hand on Alex's arm and cut in.

"What exactly happened tonight?"

Jessica took a deep breath and said, "We were dancing and having a good time, and then this guy came up and asked if I wanted to dance with him. I said yes, and we started dancing. Then we went to go get something to drink, and when I came back, Angela was gone." Jessica looked up at Walker to see his reaction.

Walker, Alex, and the other Rangers looked at Jessica. All of them looked like they were ready to kill her then and there. Obviously, if she hadn't gone off with this guy, Angela would be okay.

"Can I see her?" Jessica asked, breaking the silence that surrounded her. "I need to see her."

"How can you possibly think that I'm going to let you anywhere near her after what you've done?" Alex yelled.

"Alex, honey, keep your voice down…" Walker murmured.

"You can turn around and walk out the way you came, and don't ever think about coming back here again!" Alex yelled, completely ignoring Walker's warning.

"Excuse me?" Jessica said in disbelief. She'd expected the anger, and accepted it, but there was no way she was going to let her friend down. Again.

"I said, leave. Now."

"I think I'll stay, actually. I have a friend who needs me right now."

"She doesn't need you. She's here because of you."

"I know she is. And all the same, I'm going to see her."

Jessica started to push past Alex and Walker, walking toward the door to Angela's room. Gage, Sydney, and Trivette looked from Jessica to Walker, waiting to see what he was going to do. When they saw that he seemed to be at a loss for words, the three of them moved together to block the door to the room. Jessica stopped.

"Move, please." She said simply.

"Listen, I don't know exactly what happened, but I really think you should leave." Trivette said. "Just let this family be."

"You'll be wasting your time anyway." Gage said. "She won't talk to anyone right now. The best thing you can do is to leave. Don't go in and remind her of what happened last night."

"Just let me talk to her. Please. If she gets upset, I'll leave. Please just let me talk to her." Jessica reasoned.

Walker came over and said something to his partners. They slowly moved out of the way. Alex just stared at her husband, her face a mixture of anger and disbelief.

Jessica took a deep breath and pushed open the door.

* * *

What she saw brought tears to her eyes. Angela was curled up on the bed, facing away from the door, her arms wrapped around her knees.

"Ang?" Jessica said tentatively. There was no acknowledgment of her presence by her friend. Jessica walked slowly to the bed, not noticing that four Texas Rangers and a District Attorney had walked into the room, and were hovering in the doorway.

"Angela?" Jessica said again, when she was right next to the bed. Jessica gently sat down on the bed. Alex took a step toward the bed, but Walker held her arm. Jessica leaned back against the pillows and wrapped her arms around her friend. Everyone in the room watched in disbelief as Angela rolled over, buried her face in Jessica's collarbone, and started to cry.


	10. Chapter 10

Hey everyone, sorry it took so long to post this. I have finals coming up, so I've been really busy. Thanks for being patient! And as always, reviews are appreciated!!

* * *

From that point on, Jessica was tolerated in Angela's hospital room. After a few days, it became evident that she was now a fundamental part of Angela's life. Only Jessica could get Angela to speak, to eat, and to shower. When Jessica wasn't in the room, Angela went back to being a shell that curled up on her bed, not moving, just lying there. But when Jessica came, Angela perked up and almost seemed to be her old self.

The only problem was that the Rangers had no leads about her case. They knew that it was the same gang that was committing all these other crimes, but they didn't know the identities of the gang members. They needed a face or a name or something that could help them. They had been hopeful that maybe Angela would remember something, but so far she had refused to talk about it. Walker decided to try something new. He saw Jessica walk in the entrance of the hospital at the start of visiting hours as she did every day. This time, he intercepted her before she got to Angela's door.

"Jessica, I need to ask you a favor."

"Sure, what is it?" Jessica responded, mildly surprised. The Walkers and everyone else had pretty much ignored her since that fateful night in the hospital room. Nevertheless, she was willing to help.

"We're getting nowhere with this case. We need a solid lead to follow up, but we can't get Angela to talk about that night at all. Even if she doesn't remember anything, we need to know that too. "

"So you want me to try to get her to talk?"

"Yes."

"I can't promise anything. You know I've tried before and she just shuts down." Jessica warned.

"I know. But all the same…"

"Okay."

Jessica walked into Angela's room. Angela jerked out of the fake sleep she was feigning. Alex looked through Jessica at her husband. He nodded and Alex rose and walked silently to the doorway to stand by her husband.

"Hey Ang?"

"Yeah?"

"I need you to do something for me, okay?" Jessica said.

"Okay, what?"

"I need you to tell me what happened that night, after we got separated at the club."

Angela looked at Jessica with a blank face. "I can't." was all she said.

"Angela, you need to, for two reasons. Number one, it's going to eat away at you until you talk about it. Number two, your dad and everyone else can't do anything to find this guy until you help. No one else remembers anything. We need you to do this."

Tears welled up in Angela's eyes as she stared at Jessica. "I can't."

"Come on Ang, we'll do it together. We were dancing at the club…"

Angela stared straight ahead. Jessica shifted her position on the bed so that her eyes were directly in Angela's line of vision. "Don't worry about anyone else right now. You and me. That's all. Tell me what happened. Just me." Jessica whispered.

Angela spoke almost inaudibly. "We were dancing, and I didn't notice that we had moved closer to the door. I was thirsty, so I went to get some water. But he grabbed my arm and took me outside, and then he hit me and I fell. He dragged me to his car, I think it was a van or something and he just kept hitting me. And then…" Angela broke off with a sob. Everyone knew what had happened after that.

"Shh Angie, its okay. You're okay. You did great. Shh, it's okay." Jessica held Angela's head in her arms and rocked back and forth.

Walker was already on the phone with Trivette, asking him to run down a list of known gangbangers with vans, while Alex watched the scene silently from the doorway. She couldn't cry anymore. She needed to do something else.

Angela started to calm down, and fell asleep in Jessica's arms. Jessica leaned back so that Angela's head was on her pillows. When her friend was comfortably lying down, she got up and walked out of the room quietly.

"Thank you." Walker said. "That's a good start."

"Glad I could help." Jessica said.

"I have to go to work, help Trivette, Gage, and Sydney sort through the auto records." Walker said, looking at Alex. "Will you be okay here?"

Alex looked at Jessica, then back at Walker. "I need to go to the office, actually. I want to have the warrants ready when you find the bastard that did this." She said to Walker. Looking at Jessica she added, "Will you stay here?"

Jessica looked incredulously at Alex. She hadn't said two words to her after she had told her that she was responsible for what happened to Angela. "Of course." She said.

Jessica watched as Walker and Alex walked hand in hand out of the hospital and went and sat in the chair by Angela's bed. She had a lot to think about.


	11. Chapter 11

Hey everyone, hope you like this chapter! As always, please review!!!!!

* * *

From then on, Walker continued to use Jessica's help to get details about the night that Angela was raped. Eventually, Angela was able to give a vague description of the man that had attacked her. He was a white male, about 22 years old and about six feet tall. Unfortunately, this description matched way too many known gang bangers in the area. What they really needed was a face, which was why Angela was now working with Trivette and a laptop, while Jessica sat on Angela's bed next to her. Walker and Alex were outside in the hall talking with the doctor.

"Angela should be able to go home today." the doctor said. "Her physical injuries have pretty much healed, so I don't see any reason for her to stay here any longer."

"Thanks doctor." Walker said.

Alex sighed and moved into her husband's arms. Walker held her close and rested his chin on top of her head. "She's going to be okay, Alex." He said reassuringly.

"Is she, Walker? Is she really? Will she ever be okay again?"

"Yes, she will. We're going to help her. And so will Gage, Sydney, and Trivette."

"And Jessica." Alex added, surprising Walker immensely.

"I thought you didn't like her." He said.

"I don't. And neither do you. Or anyone else for that matter, except our daughter, apparently. And I am willing to do anything to help our daughter right now, even if it means tolerating that girl."

At that moment, Trivette walked out of the room, laptop in hand. "We have a sketch. I'm going to take it back to the office and try to get an ID." He said triumphantly. Without even waiting for a reply, he walked out of the hospital.

Walker and Alex looked at each other, both antsy and relieved. They turned and walked into Angela's room. As usual, Jessica was sitting on Angela's bed, holding her hand.

"The doctor says you can go home today sweetie!" Alex said excitedly.

Angela managed a small smile. She had started functioning more even when Jessica wasn't there. In fact, she seemed like she was back to normal, until you looked at her eyes. That was the telltale sign that something was still wrong.

"Angela, that's awesome news!" Jessica said enthusiastically. "Come on, go get dressed!"

Angela smiled again and stood to walk to the bathroom to change. This left Walker, Alex, and Jessica alone together. Jessica looked at Walker and Alex.

"Thank you." She said. "For letting me be here for all of this."

"Honestly, I think we're the ones that should be thanking you." Walker said. "Thank you for helping our daughter through this."

"Listen, Angela's my friend, and I would do anything for her. This was no problem." Jessica said earnestly, glad she seemed to be making progress with Angela's parents.

Alex spoke up. "Jessica, I also appreciate what you've done, but I want to make sure that you know that this does not excuse your role in what happened that night. If you had stayed with Angela, this would not have happened. Don't forget that."

Jessica replied, "I won't."

Angela walked out of the bathroom. "I'm ready." She said. She looked at Jessica. "Will you come with me?"

Jessica hesitated, and looked at Alex, who almost imperceptibly narrowed her eyes and tightened her lips. "Ang, I think that maybe you should just be with your family right now." Noticing the change in her expression, she added "But I'll definitely come by later."

Angela nodded and grabbed her bag. With a last hug for Jessica, she walked out of the hospital room with her parents. When she was sure they were gone, Jessica walked out of the room as well.

* * *

Back at Ranger headquarters, Trivette, Gage, and Sydney were searching through mug shots of men matching Angela's description. They had been at it for hours, but so far the ones they'd looked at were all either dead, in prison, or had a solid alibi. Sydney hung up her phone.

"Guys, I may have something. I just spoke to Andre Wallace's parole officer. He says that Andre has missed his last three check-ins. The guy has apparently disappeared."

"What was he in prison for?" Gage asked.

"Which time?" Sydney quipped. "Let's see." She pulled up Wallace's records. "Looks like everything from auto theft to assault and battery. And, he was accused of raping a girl two years ago, but nothing happened because they couldn't prove it."

"What do you mean they couldn't prove it?" Trivette asked skeptically.

"No DNA, no physical evidence, and the girl couldn't identify him for certain. All she remembered was being forced into a van."

"Sounds familiar." Gage said. "What's Wallace's last known address?"

"1544 Elm."

"Let's go." Trivette said.

And so they went.


	12. Chapter 12

Hey everyone! Again, sorry this took so long, studying for finals has taken up a lot of my time, unfortunately. Thanks for being patient! And as always, please review!

* * *

Walker, Alex, and Angela had just barely walked into their house when the phone rang. While Walker went to answer it, Alex helped Angela carry her things upstairs.

"This is Walker." He answered the phone.

"Walker, its Trivette. We may have a lead."

"Go on." Walker insisted as his heart started to race.

"Andre Wallace. Been in prison a few times for various offenses and was accused of rape a few years back. The situation is similar to what Angela went through. We spoke to his parole officer, who says that Wallace has missed his last few meetings. Sydney did some checking into local gangs, and around the time Wallace started missing his meetings, a new gang popped up. Get this, they call themselves La Muerte."

"Death." Walker said, comprehension dawning. "Are you going to pick up Wallace?"

"We're on our way now."

"Okay, I'll meet you at headquarters." Walker hung up the phone, thinking about the conversation he'd just had. Hopefully, this lead would pan out. He needed to get the bastard that did this to his daughter. He ran up the stairs to say goodbye to his wife and daughter, only to find them both curled up on Angela's bed, sound asleep. In a way, he was glad. He knew that they both needed sleep, and besides, he didn't want to get their hopes up for nothing. He went back downstairs and left a note on the kitchen table telling them that he had to go back to work for awhile.

* * *

"Texas Rangers, open up!" Gage yelled, standing at the front door of Andre Wallace's home. When there was no answer, he nodded at Sydney and she kicked in the front door. They heard Trivette do the same with the back door. Gage saw a figure dart across his line of vision to the window in the living room. He started after him, but Trivette tackled Wallace to the floor before he could even start to open the window. Within seconds, Wallace's hands were cuffed behind his back and Trivette was reading him his rights. While Trivette took care of Wallace, Sydney and Gage had a look around the house. By the time they were done, they had no doubt that Wallace was the man they were after. He had articles about each of the crimes La Muerte had committed, including photos of the crime scenes before and after the crimes occurred. They found stacks of Death cards in a chest of drawers in Wallace's closet, but what they found last was positively the most incriminating. Wallace had pictures of about ten different women, all beaten, unconscious, and naked. The last picture was of Angela. When he saw that, Gage had had enough. He stormed out of the house to where Trivette was about to put Wallace in the car. He pushed Trivette aside, and started putting his fists into any part of Wallace he could reach. It took almost a minute for Sydney and Trivette to pull Gage off of Wallace. Trivette pulled him aside as Sydney shoved Wallace, who was screaming something about a lawsuit, into the car. Sydney went to call the CSI's to have them go over Wallace's house more thoroughly while she, Gage, and Trivette drove Wallace to Ranger Headquarters.

* * *

When they got there, Sydney took Wallace to an interrogation room while Gage and Trivette went to fill Walker in on what they found. When they got to the part about the photos, Walker had sat down and put his head in his hands. Gage and Trivette watched, unsure of what they should do. That's how Sydney found the three of them when she walked back into the office.

"Wallace is in Interrogation Room 1." She said. "She looked from Walker, sitting at his desk, to Gage and Trivette, standing awkwardly in front of him. "Do you want me…?" she started.

"No." Walker said. "I'll do this."

"Walker, I'm not sure that's a good idea." Trivette said.

"I said, I'll do this." Walker insisted. With that, he stood and walked out of the office.

Wallace was sitting in the room, a smug look on his face. Walker stormed in and sat down opposite him.

"Tell me what you did." Walker said with a voice cold as ice.

"I didn't do anything, man." Wallace drawled.

Walker slammed his fist on the table. "Don't mess with me, Wallace. I know what you did."

"Then why you askin'"? Wallace said, a smile on his face.

"You son of a bitch." Walker hissed. "That was my daughter."

"Which one?" Wallace laughed. "Let me see if I can figure this out. Obviously, you haven't really cared until now, so it has to be something I did after I started La Muerte. So, that leaves only one real option. Can I make my guess now?"

Walker didn't say anything.

"My guess is that your daughter is that hot little blond chick, am I right?"

Wallace saw Walker clench his jaw.

"So I am right. Oh yeah, she was good. I had fun with her." Wallace was cut off as Walker launched himself across the table. At that moment Gage, Trivette, and Sydney all rushed in to stop him from doing something that might give Wallace leverage during the case. Walker was pulled from the room by Gage and Sydney, as Trivette grabbed Wallace and shoved him up against the wall of the room.

"Come on, scumbag, let's go." With that, Trivette dragged Wallace out of the room toward the holding cells. After Wallace was fingerprinted and photographed, he was handed a phone; he presumed that it was so he could call his lawyer. However, he had no intention of doing so. He wouldn't need a lawyer. He dialed the familiar number, and said, "You know what to do."


	13. Chapter 13

Alex woke up when the phone rang. Slowly, so as to not wake her sleeping daughter, Alex stood, grabbed the phone, and walked into the hall before answering.

"Hello?"

"Alex, we caught him." Alex could hear the relief in her husband's voice, and she knew that it mirrored the relief she was feeling right now. Her baby was safe. Alex slowly slid down the wall until she was sitting on the floor. "Who is it?"

"His name is Andre Wallace. He's the head of the gang that's been terrorizing the city lately."

"Oh God. Well, at least you got him now. I doubt any judge will go easy on him after everything he's done. I only with that I could be the one to put him away."

"I know you do. But it's better this way. I don't want you to have to go near him."

"I know, Walker, I know."

"How's Angela?"

"She's still sleeping. I don't want to wake her just yet. I'll wait until she wakes up herself to tell her the good news."

"Okay, well, I'm about to leave, so I'll be home soon. See you then."

"Okay. Bye."

Alex hung up the phone, breathing in another big breath of relief. And then, she started to cry. It was over. It was all finally over. She could stop worrying so much. This man couldn't hurt her daughter ever again. When she had calmed down, she walked back into Angela's room and sat in a chair by her bed, where she continued to sit until Walker got home.

* * *

When Angela woke up a few hours later, her parents told her that they had caught the man that had done this to her. Surprisingly, her response was somewhat stoic.

"Angela? Did you hear what we said? We caught the guy." Alex said, perplexed with her daughter's lack of response.

"I heard you, mom. That's great news." Angela said.

"Sweetie, what's wrong?" Alex asked urgently.

"Nothing's wrong. It's great actually, to know that this Wallace guy is off the street."

"Well, honey, I actually expected that you would be a little more relieved." Alex said, still unable to understand why Angela wasn't as excited and relieved as she was.

"Mom I am relived, but to be completely honest, I wasn't scared of him hurting me anymore." Angela explained.

Walker and Alex just looked at her, waiting her Angela to explain what she had just said. Seeing this, Angela continued.

"It was something Jessica said. She said that if I went through my life being scared of this guy and wondering if he was going to come back, that he would win. He would be controlling my life. Wherever I went, I would be looking over my shoulder. She told me that I was strong enough not to have to live like that. And I chose not to live like that. So I stopped being afraid." Angela explained. She looked up at her parents to find that neither one of them was looking at her. Walker was staring off into the distance, seemingly deep in thought while Alex's eyes were closed, tears streaming out of them. For awhile, the three just sat there like that, each of them absorbed in their own thoughts.

* * *

For the next few days after that, Angela started acting more and more like her old self. Jessica would come by in the morning, and the two girls would sit around the house, talking and laughing about anything and everything. They played card games, made cookies, and even doodled in coloring books. Alex was glad that they were so content around the house; she wasn't sure if she was ready to have Angela leave quite yet. Angela had expressed some interest in going back to school soon, and Alex wasn't sure how she felt about that. She knew that if Angela was ready, she herself should be ready, but for some reason, it wasn't working that way. Still, she supposed that it was Angela who should make the final decision. Today was Friday, so she would have the whole weekend to figure it out. Alex also knew that Jessica had been skipping school, but she was too worried about her own daughter to worry about another child. Alex figured that Jessica knew what she was doing.

Alex's train of thought was interrupted when Angela and Jessica walked into the kitchen, where Alex had been sitting.

"Mom? Can I go over to Jessica's tomorrow?" Angela asked tentatively. She knew that her mom was worried about her being out of sight, which was why she'd agreed to stay in the house. But now, after a week, the house was getting old. She needed to go somewhere, anywhere, else.

Alex looked at her daughter and hesitated for a moment. In that moment, she ran through many different responses, and finally decided on, "If you want to." It almost broke Alex's heart to say that, but she knew that she was being selfish. Angela couldn't go back to being her old self if Alex was always around. Still, she knew she had made the right decision when Angela's face lit up.

"Really?! Thanks Mom. You're the best!" She gave her mother a brief hug and all but skipped out of the room to go plan with Jessica.

* * *

Later that evening, long after Jessica had left the Walker's house for the night, Andre Wallace had a visitor. The visit was short, and to the point.

"Is everything set?" Wallace asked.

"Yes sir."

"Good."

* * *

As always, please, please review. Any comments/suggestions/criticisms welcome. Thanks!!


	14. Chapter 14

Hi everyone! This chapter was kind of hard for me to write, as it jumps around a bit. Please let me know if you think any part of it is too confusing or if you have suggestions on how to make it better. For all of the people who have been asking me to put Sydney in more, I'm planning a sequel to this story that will have more Sydney in it, she just didn't really play in to this one too much. Anyway, as always, thanks for reading, and please review!

* * *

"Bye Mom, see you later!" Angela yelled as she heard the beep of Jessica's car horn. She flew down the stairs and out the door without another thought.

"Bye. Have fun!" Alex yelled to Angela's retreating figure. She watched as Angela got in the car and gave Jessica a hug. Then she watched as her baby girl left for the first time since she was raped. And she found that she wasn't anxious as she thought she would be. So she went about her business.

* * *

On the drive to her apartment, Jessica and Angela talked about anything and everything, as they always did.

"So, how've you been?" Jessica asked.

"Pretty good. It feels nice to get out of the house. I know my mom loves me, but I feel like I'm on a leash." Angela complained.

"You know she just wants what's best for you."

"Yeah, I know." There was a moment of silence and then Angela spoke again. "I'm still scared y'know."

"Yeah, well, you'd be insane if you weren't. It's okay to be scared."

"I just- I don't know. I don't want to feel scared; I don't want to feel like this. I feel like I should be over this already."

"Ang, this isn't just something you can get over. It's going to take a long time for that to happen, if it ever does. What you're feeling isn't wrong."

"I know that, but the thing is, people can say stuff like that all they want, but it doesn't make the feelings go away Jessie."

"I know." They pulled up to Jessica's apartment building and got out of the car. Arm in arm, they walked to the door and into the apartment.

"Help yourself" Jessica offered. Both girls got snacks and went into the living room. They were about to sit on the couch when there was a knock at the door. And then everything went to hell.

* * *

Bobby Sandero and Ricky Franks had strict orders. They were part of La Muerte, and the leader of La Muerte was in trouble. So, they had to get him out of it. There was only one way to do that: get rid of the evidence. All of it. However, since they didn't have access to the evidence locker, they had to get creative. So they had devised a plan that would allow them to solve this problem. It was this plan that had led them to follow a certain car to a certain apartment building, and watch as two young women walked in. Bobby and Ricky got out and followed them up the stairs.

"Help yourself" they heard one of the girls say. They nodded to each other, and they each grabbed their guns. Bobby looked at Ricky and knocked on the door.

* * *

The alarm came in on the dispatcher's radio.

"Reports of gunshots fired in the vicinity of 2400 Oak Ridge. All available units please respond." At that, three different on-duty squad cars sped off toward the apartment complex. So did Gage and Sydney, who were technically off duty, but in the vicinity nonetheless. The Rangers, however, didn't get the memo. That is, until Alex came running into Walker's office, tears streaming down her face, a piece of paper in hand.

* * *

"Walker!" she cried, and handed him the note.

**MR. AND MRS. WALKER, WE HAVE YOUR DAUGHTER. CONFIRMATION TO FOLLOW.**

Walker read the note and sank into his chair.

"Walker, who's doing this? Why are they doing this? Hasn't she been through enough?" Alex cried.

"I think I have a hunch." Walker said gravely.

Trivette joined in. "Guys, there's been a report of shots fired at 2400 Oak Ridge Lane. Isn't that where Jessica lives?" Then he saw the looks on their faces and his eyes registered the piece of paper on Walker's desk. He picked it up and read it. What do you think Walker?"

"La Muerte." Walker said. Silence followed, except for the sound of Alex's crying. It all made sense now.

It was then that Gage ran into the office. He saw Walker, Alex, and Trivette standing around Walker's desk and knew that they had heard the police report. But he had good news. Kind of.

"Hey guys, it's okay, we got her out." He said reassuringly.

Alex looked up at him, tears still streaming down her face. Wordlessly, she handed him the note. He read it, confused. "Walker, what-?"

At that point, a bike messenger walked in. "Excuse me, I have a delivery for a Mr. Cordell Walker?" Walker walked over and said a few words to the man, who looked stunned. Walker then dismissed him and took the package. He had a feeling that he knew what it was. He walked over to the television and took out the videotape he had just received. He put the tape in and pressed PLAY.

"Ranger Walker, we are La Muerte. You have our leader. And we have your daughter."

"DAD!" The cry didn't come from the video though; it came from the doorway, where Angela was standing next to Sydney. She ran over to where her parents were standing and almost tackled them. She was sobbing. Walker, Trivette, and Alex were stunned. Hadn't they just read a note that told them that their daughter had been kidnapped? Gage still looked confused, and Sydney was standing in the doorway with a smile on her face, not knowing the full extent of what was going on. Walker suddenly turned his attention back to the video, perplexed at the new development. What was going on? His daughter was right here. He had her, no one else did. Seeing that Walker was watching the video again, everyone else refocused their attention. Sydney looked at the television for the first time, taking in the masked men with surprise.

"What's this?" she asked, but was quickly silenced by a look from Gage. They had missed a lot of the head man's speech about demands and the like, but they looked back just in time to see a young girl being dragged into the frame. Her hands were tied behind her back and two men held her arms. Everyone in the vicinity watched as a gun was placed next to her temple. What the girl said surprised them the most.

"My name is Angela Walker." Jessica said.


	15. Chapter 15

Here's the next chapter. The semester is over, so I can update more often! As always, please review!!_

* * *

_

_There was a knock on the door. Jessica walked over to see who it was, leaving Angela sitting on the couch. She looked out the peephole and saw two men with handguns. Almost immediately, she guessed what was going to happen. She ran back to Angela and whispered urgently._

_"Go to the bedroom, get in the closet. Don't make a sound."_

_"What? Why?" Angela asked, her eyes wide._

_"Just do it. I'll be right behind you." Jessica reassured her._

_Angela turned and ran into the bedroom. Jessica frantically started cleaning up the room, hiding the dishes so that it would appear that no one was home. She put the dishes under the couch, and just as she was about to go into the bedroom, she heard a gunshot. She turned around in time to see the two men burst in through her front door. One pointed his gun at her while the other started scoping out the apartment. _

_"What's your name?" he asked gruffly._

_Jessica didn't say anything. She stood, transfixed, in the middle of the room, staring down the barrel of his gun._

_"Are you Angela Walker?" the man asked, this time more urgently, as the other man went to search the bedroom._

_Jessica held her breath, waiting to see if he would find Angela. When he walked back out, shaking his head, she had to make a split second decision. So she nodded. The man that had searched the apartment came up behind her and grabbed her arms, tying them behind her back very tightly. She was blindfolded and flanked by the two men, walked out of the apartment and down the stairs. When they got to the bottom, she felt herself being lifted up briefly before being dropped into what she presumed was the trunk of a car. Her suspicions were confirmed as she heard the car start and begin to move. She took advantage of this time to try get her hands free, but the ropes were too tight, she could feel them digging into her wrists, chafing the skin there. The car just kept driving and eventually, Jessica lost track of time. Eventually the car stopped and she felt herself being lifted out and set on her feet. With one man on each side of her, she was made to walk a short distance. She heard a door open, and she was quickly pushed through it. At that point, her blindfold was taken off. _

_She looked around. It looked like she was in an old warehouse of some kind, but she wasn't sure. There were about ten men in the room, each holding a weapon. _

Jessica thought about everything that had happened that had gotten her up to this point. After she had been forced to make the video, she'd been dragged to a far corner of the warehouse where her hands, still tied behind her, were secured to a pole. "Still," she thought to herself, "I've been in worse situations." There wasn't much she could do except sit there and think, so she did just that.

_She was told that she had to go in front of the camera and say her name. As long as she did what she was told, she wouldn't be hurt. But Jessica didn't buy that for a minute. Still, when she was dragged in front of the camera, she complied and said that her name was Angela Walker. Which wasn't true in the slightest, but she knew that if she had said her real name, they would kill her now and go after Angela again._

She thought some more about why she had protected Angela at her own expense. She knew the answer. Jessica knew that Angela had a loving family, and that she was happy. Then, her world had been shattered when she was raped. Now, she was finally getting back on track. Jessica on the other hand, had nothing to lose. She didn't have a family to go home to, one that would be worried sick when they found out she'd been kidnapped. So why make Angela suffer any more? Friends help friends, and that's what she was doing.

Jessica was so caught up in her little reverie that she didn't notice that one of the men in the room had walked up to her.

"Need the bathroom?" she was asked.

She nodded. He knelt down behind her and untied her hands, then pulled her into a standing position.

"Try anything funny and you're dead." He said, waving his gun at her. Jessica knew that was true. She'd gotten the gist of what they wanted. They were from La Muerte, and the head of La Muerte was the one that had raped Angela. Since he was in jail, they needed to get rid of the evidence, and they figured that Angela was leverage. The Rangers would do whatever they said to get her back, including destroying evidence found in Andre Wallace's home. She'd heard them make the rest of the video, in which they demanded five million dollars as well as a fueled helicopter with the evidence for the case, and Andre Wallace, inside. This was to be delivered at noon tomorrow in a field outside Dallas. Once the gang was safely out of town, they would tell the Rangers where to find Angela. Jessica knew that this was bullshit. They wouldn't leave her alive, she was evidence too. So, she didn't mess around when she was taken to the bathroom. She did her thing and walked back out of the bathroom, only to find all of the men had gathered around the door.

"I can see why Andre went for her." One of them said with a leering smile on his face.

"Sure can." Said another.

Jessica looked them straight in the eye. She wasn't scared; she'd been through worse.

"So tell me sweetheart, did you like it?" one asked, and they all laughed. Jessica still didn't say anything.

"Oh come on now, we're just trying to be friendly." One of the men said, his hand reaching up to stroke her face. That did it.

"Don't touch me." Jessica said calmly, still not scared. The men faltered; this was always more fun when the chicks screamed. So they decided that this was their mission. They had to make her scream. Bobby was the first one to land a punch. It connected solidly with Jessica's cheekbone, and she reeled. Quick to recover, she started throwing punches and kicks as hard as she could, but she was soon on her stomach, a knee in her back. Her lip was bleeding profusely, as was the back of her head. She was dragged over to her pole and tied up again. Then a piece of duct tape was put over her mouth. And she watched as the men left, waving in her direction and yelling at her to enjoy her night. The door to the warehouse was slammed shut, and Jessica knew that she was alone for the night.

She tried to concentrate on getting some sleep, but found herself thinking about Angela. Hopefully, Angela had told her parents what had happened. She hoped that Angela was okay, and she hoped that the Rangers wouldn't give in to La Muerte's demands. It really wasn't worth it to have a creep like him back out on the streets, and Jessica was willing to die to keep that from happening.


	16. Chapter 16

**Hi everybody! Here is the last chapter of this particular fic. I'm planning a sequel of sorts, but it probably won't be up until after the holidays. Special thanks to MammaMiaRENTfan, moviemom44, spudtrooper, and niapeeblesrocks#1fan for reviewing so often. I appreciate it! Thanks again for reading. Enjoy! And happy holidays to all!**

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* * *

**

Angela had just finished telling her version of what had happened. She stopped talking and looked up to see five extremely shocked faces. Gage, Sydney, and Trivette just looked gob smacked, while her father looked both surprised and angry. As for Alex, she was crying again.

"Dad, you have to find her. You can't let anything happen to her-" Angela broke off. They didn't understand how guilty she felt right now. It should be her that was missing; Jessica didn't have any part in this.

"Angela, I promise, we won't let anything happen to her. We'll find her. That's a promise. Trivette, I want you to see what you can get out of Wallace. I know he's behind this, so go make him talk. Gage and Sydney, I want you to run down Wallace's known associates, as well as any property or local hangouts they have." He looked at Angela again. "We'll find her. I promise. Alex, why don't you and Angela go home and-"

"No way!" Angela interrupted. "I'm not leaving until you find her. This is all my fault."

"Honey, this isn't your fault…" Alex said.

"You don't understand, mom. If I hadn't left the club with Andre that night-"

"Angela, that's not what happened. Jessica said that she left you."

Angela looked at her feet. "She said that to cover for me. The truth is that Andre came and asked me to dance. Jessica warned me not to; she said that we should stay together, but I went anyway. People don't ever ask me to dance." Angela looked up. "Jessica covered for me because she didn't want you to be mad. So, I am not leaving until you find her." The look on Angela's face was such that Walker didn't argue with her. He simply asked Alex to go and prepare some search warrants so that they would be ready when they figured everything out. Alex took one last look at her daughter and walked out. Angela settled herself down at a table in the middle of the room and thought about Jessica. And she prayed.

* * *

At some point, Jessica had actually fallen asleep. Now, she woke with a start as she heard the door to the warehouse being opened. She squinted into the light that streamed in and made out the shadows of the same men that had been here the night before. They appeared to be in the middle of a heated conversation.

"Listen Bobby, they've only got three hours till the deadline. I say we just go ahead and kill her now, and then we can clean up here." One of them was saying.

"And I say that we go along with the original plan." She heard Bobby answer. "They're not going to land the chopper until they see the girl. So we take her with us, show them that she's still alive, and then dump her after we have the bird."

Jessica listened to all of this. Basically, she had three hours to live. And even though she wasn't afraid of dying, she'd really been hoping to live at least a few more years.

* * *

"Walker, I think I've got something!" Sydney yelled from her desk. "One of Wallace's known associates by the name of Bobby Sandero apparently rents an old warehouse about two hours from Jessica's apartment. And something else: the warehouse is only a mile from where the exchange is supposed to take place today."

"Okay, get the address to Alex; have her get the search warrants. And call Jim, we don't have time for a two hour drive; we need to take the chopper." Walker said. Sydney nodded and left, yelling that she would meet them on the helipad. Walker, Gage, and Trivette all grabbed their guns and coats and started to race out of the room after Sydney.

"Dad!"

Walker turned. "We'll bring her back." He promised. Angela nodded and watched her father walk out of the office. And she sat down and started to cry.

* * *

Back at the warehouse, the members of La Muerte were all lounging around, talking and playing cards. Others were checking and re-checking their weapons and supplies of ammo. One of them reported that there was only half an hour until the deadline.

"We'll stay here until then." Bobby said. "Just make sure you're ready to go." He walked over to where Jessica was still tied to the pole and ripped the tape from her mouth. He laughed softly as he heard her sharp intake of breath. "Always the quiet one, aren't you?" he said quietly, stoking her cheek with his hand. Jessica just glared at him. He laughed again. "You know, I almost hate to kill you so soon. We haven't even gotten to know each other." He lamented.

"What makes you think I would _want _to get to know you?" Jessica asked, her tone withering. She flinched slightly as Bobby slapped her across the face.

"I won't take that from you!" he yelled, pointing his gun at her forehead. "Don't forget who's in control of your life right now bitch!" he screamed as he raised his hand to slap her again

"TEXAS RANGERS, DROP YOUR WEAPONS!" Trivette yelled as he, Walker, Sydney, and Gage burst into the warehouse, guns drawn. And the firefight started. Jessica heard the shots and saw the members of La Muerte drop one by one until only Bobby was left. He hadn't even fired his gun once; he'd just watched the scene, still standing near Jessica.

"Put them down, Rangers." He said calmly, placing his own gun against Jessica's head. "Put them down now."

"Come on, Sandero, you know we can't do that." Gage said. "We can't put ours down until you drop yours."

"I really don't think you're in any position to try and bargain here, Ranger." Bobby said, pressing the gun harder into Jessica's skull. "So, put your-" A shot rang out and Bobby dropped to the floor. The Rangers looked at Sydney, who'd taken the shot.

"What?" she said innocently. "He wouldn't shut up." The Rangers holstered their weapons and while Trivette, Gage, and Sydney went to check on the gunned down members of La Muerte, Walker came over to where Jessica was. He bent down and quickly untied her hands, seeing the raw skin around her wrists. He also took in the bruises on her face and arms, as well as the savage cut on her cheek. He wasn't sure he wanted to know the full extent of what had happened. What he did know was that this girl had dealt with everything La Muerte had planned for Angela. Jessica had protected his daughter.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. How's Angela?" Jessica asked.

"She's waiting for you back at Ranger Headquarters." He watched as Jessica slowly stood up, and surmised that there were probably a lot more bruises that he couldn't see. "Come on, there's an ambulance outside. They can check you out on the way back. Unless you need the hospital." Walker said.

"I don't need the hospital." Jessica said adamantly. The two of them began to walk out of the warehouse, past the backup that had finally arrived. Walker stopped abruptly.

"I'm sorry." Walker said. "I'm sorry that I didn't treat you fairly when you were only trying to help. I never gave you a chance. I'm sorry."

Jessica looked at him. "Ranger Walker, I want you to know that your daughter is my best friend. I would never do anything to intentionally hurt her. And I would do anything to help her."

With that, Jessica walked herself to the ambulance. Trivette, Sydney, and Gage walked over to where Walker was standing.

"Is she okay?" Sydney asked.

"She's okay." Walker said simply, and the Rangers heard the double meaning in his words. Jessica was no longer the enemy. She never really had been.

* * *

Angela was sitting at the same table she'd been sitting at when the Rangers left. Now, Alex was sitting there too. They heard the door open, and Angela looked up to see Jessica walk through the door. Jessica barely had time to register her surroundings when Angela wrapped her in a hug so tight, Jessica feared for the safety of her spine. Nevertheless, she hugged back just as hard. Alex looked past the girls to Walker, who smiled at her. Alex looked back at the girls and knew that Angela had found a lifelong friend.


End file.
